How to capture monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds and use traps

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In Monster Hunter Rise, to successfully trap monsters in the wilds, you’ll need a combination of strategies. You might use a pitfall or shock trap initially, but it’s crucial to have a tranquilizer weapon at hand as well. The tranquilizer will help put the monster to sleep, although there are no guarantees. Capturing monsters alive in this game is more about skill and finesse than strict rules, and the game won’t reveal this option until after the main campaign. However, mastering it beforehand can earn you unique rewards, making it worth your time to learn and practice.

How to use traps to capture monsters in MH Wilds

To capture a monster alive with a trap in MH Wilds, you need to do the following:

  1. Lower the monster’s health significantly with any of the Monster Hunter Wilds weapons, to the point where NPC followers will shout “nearly there” or similar phrases (about 10% of the monster’s max health).
  2. Deploy either a Pitfall Trap or Shock Trap.
  3. Once the trap is ready, lure the monster to stand on it and trigger it.
  4. While the monster is stuck in the trap, quickly run over and use a Tranq Bomb or other sleep-inducing device.
  5. If the monster’s health is low enough, it should fall asleep in the trap. This will instantly register it as captured. If it’s the last target of the hunt, the mission will immediately end (and no, you can’t carve it while it’s alive).

It’s worth noting that certain monsters, such as Jin Dahaad, are not trap-able due to their immense size. Information about which monsters can and cannot be captured is available on our page detailing the weaknesses of each monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.

In this game, the type of monster you can catch depends on the mission objective. If the task is to “hunt” a monster, it means you can capture it. However, if the objective is to “slay” a monster, then capturing it isn’t an option. Although the specifics of catching monsters aren’t explained until later in the game, you can actually catch some monsters even before reaching the endgame stages.

If you’re struggling, here are some tips for capturing monsters in MH Wilds as a rule.

  • Some monsters are immune to either the Pitfall Trap or Shock Trap. If it’s immune to one, you’ll need to use the other. Make sure you have both on you, or check their resistances in the field manual.
  • There’re various ways to put monsters to sleep, and all of them work, but the Tranq Bomb is the most reliable and easy to use, as well as working for every build and character type. You can also fire Sleep ammo from weapons like the Monster Hunter Wilds Heavy Bowgun.
  • To get the monster to stand on the trap, a Luring Pod or other device will help, though most times you can just put it in its rampaging path.
  • If the monster leaves the area without standing on the trap, make sure you retrieve it before you move on.
  • You may need to use more than one Tranq Bomb to knock out the monster.
  • The dialogue from allies to mark a weakened monster is only one way to tell they’re close – they’ll also limp more frequently, a visual indicator of low health. This sign isn’t a guarantee, but it does bode well. Some monsters will also return to their nest when at low health (such as the Rathian in the Scarlet Forest returning to a treetop full of Wyvern eggs).

Should you kill or capture monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds?

In Monster Hunter, whether you kill or trap a monster impacts the frequency of drop items for each specific creature. Killing a monster may lead to more common items, while capturing typically gives you a better chance at rare items, though this can change from one monster to another. For optimal results, it’s recommended that you hunt and trap every monster listed in our Monster Hunter Wilds guide at least once. The Field Guide will display the exact percentages for each drop, helping you make informed decisions.

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2025-02-27 14:28